This blog has nothing to do with gorillas (though I love 'em)...fellow bloggers have inspired me to share vintage images of Disneyland from my personal collection. But don't be surprised if you see something from a World's Fair, Knott's Berry Farm, or someplace else that is cool!

Friday, March 21, 2014

I have two super-goodies for you today! They're both from August 29, 1965. Jason's Disneyland Almanac tells us that it was a beautiful Sunday, with a high of 89˚ and a low of 65˚; the park was open from 9 AM to midnight; and attendance was 30,653.

I love, love, love this shot of the exterior dining area for the Casa de Fritos restaurant. Those wonderful tables in primary colors (I know, I know, orange is a tertiary color) and their painted palm frond umbrellas are a dazzling feast for the eyes. At night, when Frontierland was much quieter, I can imagine how lovely it must have been with the multi-colored lights on overhead, the sound of the Mark Twain's whistle, and perhaps some distant music in the background.

Next we head over to Adventureland, where we can hear the Barker Bird (Juan) give his spiel, enticing us into the Enchanted Tiki Room. Juan is wearing his red plumage (as opposed to blue) along with his straw boater. Next to him stands Uti, the goddess of fishing (which explains the prow of the outrigger canoe). Is it just me, or does Uti have a distinctly Rolly Crump look about her? It would be nice to have Uti back, though I am not holding my breath.

12 comments:

You know, since we're talking subtractive colors here, I'm thinking orange would be a secondary color, and red-orange (vermillion) would be the tertiary. And I guess depending on how accurate the color alignment of one's monitor, the 'orange' in the picture could be considered vermillion - making it tertiary - just as you said. (What the hell was the point of all this-??!!) Oh, that's right - this incredible feast for the eyes.

Both of these pics are wonderful. I remember those hot August days at Disneyland, but haven't been there in the month August since the 1970s.

It's interesting how as Casa de Fritos and Casa Mexicana this area of Frontierland was so simple and plain in it's architecture and landscape and now as the Rancho Del Zocalo restaurant it's really become super ornate.

Cool nighttime shot of the Enchanted Tiki Room's Utu & Barker Bird. Was the barker bird's name really Juan? I never heard that before.

It's great to wake up and open this blog to see what gems await. Thanks, Major.

I recall a similar shot of Casa de Fritos a few years back (posted June 2006) that was taken in 1961, but the colors are a lot less pronounced. This one is really good. They must have become fully saturated over the course of four years sitting there in the Frontierland sun.

Even though the area has changed hands over the years, it is one of my favorite places to just hang out in the evening.

Your description of the evening environment around Casa de Fritos is right on target. There was a colorful simplicity of it all which provided a 'rustic' feeling to Frontierland. As an operator of the MT, Columbia and Mine Train at the time, I was lucky to experience it.KS

I don't think I've ever seen those colorful Casa de Fritos tables before, or at least I've never noticed them. The umbrellas look like Dr. Seuss trees.

That tapping noise you hear is my inner Virgo fussbudget trying to reach through the screen and rearrange all the umbrellas and benches to tables of the same color. Oh, the chaos! The world is inside out, law and order upside-down! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!

I LOVE that dramatic shot of the Barker Bird! But "Uti" always makes me thing of UTI, the abbreviation for Urinary Tract Infection, so she doesn't have such pleasant connotations for me!

I seem to recall the Florida barker bird being green when he was around. I guess it really ISN'T so easy.

Tom, I think I remember the slide you are referring to… it was a faded slide, so that explains why it looked so different. Or, as you say, maybe the tables and benches just ripened.

KS, yes, you were lucky alright! It is harder to make a place interesting using less decor, but they definitely managed it for the old Frontierland.

Melissa, don't you think it is a lot more fun and eye-catching when the colors are all jumbled up? And now, forever more I will think of Uti as the goddess of urinary tract infections. Also, there was a Florida barker bird? Didn't they learn their lesson after the "traffic jams" at Disneyland? Or did that not happen in Orlando?

Hooray for a lovely shot of my girl Uti! You never know, Major, with the recent Kevin and Jody figs for Uti and Pele being a hot sell, she may see more exposure in the future. I also know there's a figure of her over at WDW at (I believe) the Poly? Her flame lives on in our hearts. Alrighty I think I'm done fan-girling over Uti now… See what you've done?

And yes Melissa, I've always struggled with that association as well :P

Major - I think the WDW barker bird Melissa is referring to was at the entrance to POTC. It was located on a much wider expanse of slurry or asphalt or frozen custard or whatever than the ETC's entrance is at DL and didn't seem to create the traffic jams that its older cousin did.

And Melissa - yes - it was green...with a pirate hat, eyepatch, peg leg, and an anchor tattoo on its shaved chest.